Press Releases

OTTAWA, Canada and PETALUMA, Calif. – August 31, 2010, Overlay.TV, the leading video commerce provider for online retailers, and MarketLive, Inc., the leader in eCommerce software and solutions, today announced that joint customer, Armani|Exchange, will implement Overlay.TV’s clickable video on their eCommerce site. The site, built on the MarketLive Intelligent Commerce Platform, utilizes Overlay.TV’s powerful video commerce solution in the "How to Wear It" section of the A|X site. The end-to-end video solution will see the section transformed into an interactive video experience that is directly integrated with the A|X Armani Exchange seasonal collections and enhance customer engagement while increasing average order size.

The “How to Wear It” section provides style advice, trend tips, and highlights the chicest way for men and women to build their seasonal wardrobe. The new interactive video feature is completely integrated with the MarketLive platform and allows each item of clothing to be overlaid with a clickable hotspot, enabling users to get more information about a particular piece, or to purchase it directly.

Sharable, clickable video is a natural fit for A|X, as its core demographic is already highly engaged with online video and social media. Armani Exchange is always on the cutting edge and continues to create innovative solutions to bridge creativity and commerce. With Generation Y making up the greater percentage of online users who are open to new marketing channels, Armani Exchange has introduced online video shopping. This platform is a brand building solution as well as a direct interactive tool that provides useful style information to the A|X consumer.

“Shopping online and off line is still very much a “social experience” so giving our customers a chance to see new trends, get style tips from industry experts, and share this with their friends is an easy and natural extension of their online behavior. It's important to us to evolve our site to meet the expectations of our demographic. Our online marketing and merchandising tools must be easy to use, work with our target customer base, and be flexible and effective, and it must be fully integrated with the MarketLive platform” say A|X SVP, Brand Director Patrick Doddy. “The ability for us to get to market quickly and without managing multiple tools was a big advantage for us.”

In the past year, retailers have been increasingly integrating video into their ecommerce arsenal, and video has emerged as an essential tool for increasing conversions, reducing return rates and providing a more lifelike representation of the product.

"There's no question that clickable video is going to be one of the strongest forces in ecommerce in the coming years," says Rob Lane, CEO of Overlay.TV. "Making content that's compelling, clickable and sharable moves online video down the funnel from marketing to direct sales, with measurable benefits at each stage."

As Overlay.TV continues to grow its customer base, native integrations with ecommerce platforms such as MarketLive will continue to reduce the barrier to entry for retailers to make the move to interactive video.

"We're thrilled to have Overlay.TV as a strategic partner," said Ralf VonSosen, VP of Product Management at MarketLive. "They're a leader in what they do, and their focus on using video to increase sales and reduce costs falls right in line with our philosophy."

About Overlay.TV

Overlay.TV provides video commerce solutions that enable brands and online retailers to boost sales and customer service through interactive, clickable video. Its clients include Zappos.com, Tory Burch and French Connection UK. Overlay.TV is a private company headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. For more information, please visit www.overlay.tv.

About A|X Armani Exchange

A|X Armani Exchange is accessible Armani, inspired by street-chic culture, fashionable dance music and everything that signifies freedom and personal style. Armani Exchange is the youthful label created by Italian designer and entrepreneur Giorgio Armani.
A|X Armani Exchange was launched in 1991, aimed at a new generation of fast-fashion consumers – an accessible collection offering urban, individual style. A|X Armani Exchange defines a new dress code with a collection that takes its cue from urban lifestyle and music culture.